It is one of our greatest joys to witness our students’ journeys and success stories first-hand. Seeing them overcome obstacles, grow, and achieve their goals is truly inspiring and the fuel that keeps our work going.
Today, we would like to celebrate Sophal, who graduated from university last fall.
Sophal grew up as one of seven children in a rural community in Kampot. He was always focused on building a better future for himself and determined to pursue education. However, his family was extremely impoverished, and his parents, who themselves suffered from medical conditions, simply did not have the means to further support their son in school, which was also the reason why all his older siblings had dropped out. Sophal did not want to follow this path and made the hard decision to leave his family at the age of thirteen to move to a Buddhist pagoda and become a monk.
It is a common practice in Cambodia for poor children to approach pagodas for help. They join the monk community and partake in Buddhist customs in return. These customs include living a modest lifestyle. Donations are given to the pagodas by local community members, which allow students to attend school and have their basic needs, like meals, met for free. This way, Sophal was able to attend public school all the way through grade 12.
The dedicated student soon dreamt of pursing university and, due to his economical background, even scored a full scholarship at a university in Phnom Penh. However, he still lacked the means to support himself through university apart from tuition fees and desperately needed assistance through the coverage of his living expenses, rent, school supplies, and transportation. This is where our organization stepped in to ease these burdens off of his shoulders and provide him with the resources to realize his dream.
Sophal did an amazing job throughout his Bachelor’s program in Agricultural Science and was eventually rewarded with his degree in a ceremonial graduation held on Koh Pich Phnom Penh last September.
Read more about this experience in his own words:
Hello, I am Sophal. Last year, I was very proud because I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science. I was motivated to pursue this major because the agricultural sector in Cambodia is constantly growing and has great job opportunities for people with academic degrees. I’m very happy that I had the opportunity to study at university because I never thought that people like me could make it so far. It really means a lot for my life, as I can now use this degree to find a good job and provide for my family.
I would like to thank all of you for always supporting me. I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are the one who makes me feel strong and able to stand up to all the obstacles I go through. You make me feel like I’m not alone. God bless you.
All the best,
Sophal